HELPFUL INFORMATION AFTER BEING IN A CAR ACCIDENT AND WORK INJURY

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Social Security Disability Help from Attorney NoyesIn addition to helping those injured in car accidents, motorcycle crashes, workers' compensation claims and other personal injury matters, Matthew Noyes helps the disabled fight to get the SSD benefits from the Social Security Administration.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

It is a very dangerous job--doing road work on busy highways and interstates. Sadly, 20-year-old Robert P. Armstrong of Valrico, lost his life today on I-75 in Brandon when the driver of a pickup truck lost control.

The driver of the pickup, 21-year-old Logan Tanner Feagle of Land O' lakes, was traveling south on I-75 through a construction zone just north of State Road 60 around 4:30 a.m. Workers were attaching a message board trailer to a truck when Feagle lost control of his Chevy Z71. He went onto the shoulder and hit the message board and truck, according to the FHP. Robert Armstrong was outside on the driver's side of the truck when he was hit. He died at the scene from his injuries.

According to the report on ABC Action News, Feagle received minor injuries and charges are pending while investigators try to determine if alcohol played a role in the fatality.

Drive safely through those construction zones for the safety of the road workers and other drivers. Personally, I am amazed by some of the crazy drivers on U.S. Highway 19 in Clearwater's construction zone. The workers on the side of the road have little protection from the speeding cars. A few minutes of safety can save a life--possibly yours.

Monday, June 06, 2011

My clients and I have been saying it for years, but workers' compensation chooses to ignore it. Now, a recent study conducted by medical and healthcare professionals outside the chiropractic profession concludes chiropractic care to be more effective for common, work-related, low back pain, when compared to treatment by a physical therapist or physician. Overall, chiropractic patients illustrated lower medical expenses, fewer disability recurrences and shorter initial periods of disability.

Florida workers' compensation law caps chiropractic care at 24 treatments or 12 weeks from the date of the first chiropractic treatment, whichever comes first, but has no limit on the number of injections, prescription medication or other forms of care under workers' compensation.

In the study, researchers compared disability episodes across types of healthcare providers who treat claimants with new episodes of work-related lower back pain. After an analysis of 894 workers' compensation cases, it was concluded that the preventive healthcare, predominantly and explicitly recommended by chiropractic doctors, is associated with lower disability recurrences. In this study, a recurrent disability is defined as the resumption of at least 15 consecutive days of temporary total disability payments following the health maintenance stage -- the period following a patient's recovery and restoration of optimal health.

Ten percent of patients experienced recurrent disability due to lower back pain between initial disabilities and the subsequent return-to-work or healthcare phase. The study concluded that those treated mostly by chiropractors showed consistently better outcomes, less use of opioids, and had fewer surgeries, with overall lower medical expenses.

Even with this study, I don't expect to see changes in Florida's workers' compensation law. No changes will occur until the legislature and big business put the injured worker first when designing a law that takes away rights of the injured worker.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

They show up at car accident scenes and in our homes to help. This week, Pinellas County Commissioners named the 2011 EMT and Paramedic of the Year. The award is given each year in honor of EMS Week, locally commemorating the nearly 1,500 paramedics and emergency medical technicians working for Pinellas County’s emergency medical services system.

This year’s Paramedic of the Year is Sunstar paramedic Jeremy Moody. Moody has been serving in the field of emergency medical service since 1990. During his 21-year career with Sunstar, he has worked as an emergency medical technician, paramedic and field training officer. His long and successful journey as a field paramedic has given him the opportunity to impact lives at many levels.

This year’s EMT of the Year is Sunstar EMT Brandon Walters. Walters has been with Sunstar since 2003 and has worked as field training officer, CPR and emergency vehicle operating course instructor and is an active alternate on the Critical Care Transport team. Walters routinely functions as a preceptor for St. Petersburg College’s EMS program, training EMT students.

Walters was also named as the state of Florida’s EMT of the Year by the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.

We salute our firefighters and police officers as we should, but sometimes forget about the EMTs and paramedics that help those injured in car accidents, other accidents or medical emergencies at home. Let's remember these guys and gals and appreciate them as well!